Lazzaza
Encyclopedia
Lazzaza was a Palestinian
Arab
village of 230 in the northern Hula Valley next to the Hasbani River
, located 27.5 kilometres (17.1 mi) northwest of Safad.
rule, as a village of 70 people built of adobe bricks and situated on a plain near a river.
It was incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine in 1922. Under the British, Lazzaza had an elementary school, in which 26 students were enrolled in 1945. The residents, mostly Muslim
s, took advantage of the village's fertile lands, and agriculture became the basis of its economy. The primarily cultivated crops were onions, corn, and fruits, but the beehives were also kept, in addition to some livestock. Some of Lazzaza's inhabitants also fished in the Hasbani River. In the 1945 population survey by Sami Hadawi
, Lazzaza was counted with the nearby Jewish settlement of Beit Hillel
which together constituted a population of 330, 100 of whom were Jewish.
The Arabs of Lazzaza fled their village during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
on May 21, 1948. The village was not attacked by Israel
i forces, and the probable cause of its depopulation was a "whispering campaign" devised by Palmach
commander Yigal Allon
during Operation Yiftach, in which rumor would spread about massive Jewish reinforcements approaching the Galilee
. According to Walid Khalidi
, "only a few scattered houses remain on the village site", and that the residents of Beit Hillel cultivate the surrounding fields.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village of 230 in the northern Hula Valley next to the Hasbani River
Hasbani River
The Hasbani River , also known as Snir Stream within Israel, is a tributary of the Jordan river.The Hasbani River derives most of its discharge from two springs in Lebanon, the Wazzani and the Haqzbieh, the latter being a group of springs on the uppermost Hasbani...
, located 27.5 kilometres (17.1 mi) northwest of Safad.
History
Travelers in the nineteenth century describe Lazzaza, while under OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule, as a village of 70 people built of adobe bricks and situated on a plain near a river.
It was incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine in 1922. Under the British, Lazzaza had an elementary school, in which 26 students were enrolled in 1945. The residents, mostly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, took advantage of the village's fertile lands, and agriculture became the basis of its economy. The primarily cultivated crops were onions, corn, and fruits, but the beehives were also kept, in addition to some livestock. Some of Lazzaza's inhabitants also fished in the Hasbani River. In the 1945 population survey by Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on the Arab population in Palestine and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from...
, Lazzaza was counted with the nearby Jewish settlement of Beit Hillel
Beit Hillel
Beit Hillel is a moshav for a group of workers in the tower and stockade settlements in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. It belongs to the Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council. It is located on the west bank of Nahal Snir , about 5 km from Kiryat Shmona. The moshav is named for Dr...
which together constituted a population of 330, 100 of whom were Jewish.
The Arabs of Lazzaza fled their village during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
on May 21, 1948. The village was not attacked by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces, and the probable cause of its depopulation was a "whispering campaign" devised by Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
commander Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
during Operation Yiftach, in which rumor would spread about massive Jewish reinforcements approaching the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. According to Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
, "only a few scattered houses remain on the village site", and that the residents of Beit Hillel cultivate the surrounding fields.
External links
- Welcome to Lazzaza
- Lazzaza, from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...
- Lazzaza, Dr. Khalil Rizk.